The term “roofing supplies” covers a wide range of materials and items used for roof construction and maintenance. This consists of not only shingles but molding, lumber, pipes and vents, roofing cements, ladders and all the handy tools including roofing nails.
One of the most important roofing supplies is, of course, the top roofing material. This is generally the roof as people see it and includes wood shingles, ceramic tiles, asbestos shingles, metal roofing sheets and tiles, rubber roofing sheets and shingles and a lot of other types of materials. Location is a prime concern when selecting roofing material, so that the roof will withstand the local elements and issues that impact a roof.
The frame or support structure of a roof is lumber. This usually consists of a triangular truss and a lattice of beams. The frame serves as the base for the roof which is laid over the top. Other lumber elements include the cornice, part of the frame that hangs over the wall, the fascia, which is the underside of the cornice, the eave, which allows water to drip away from the roof, and the soffit, or underside of the eave.
Pipes and vents protrude from the roof. They assist in the house breathing and are also the escape routes for smoke from a fireplace or cooking hood, as well as for hot air from the attic. The bottoms of pipes and vents are always sealed with a boot, or metal strip, including a lead based or plastic sealant. These pipes and vents have one way rubber sealed shields so that the air or smoke can escape, but water doesn’t drip into the pipe or vent.
Roofing tools include the ladder to get to the roof, as well as other tools used for maintenance, installation and removal. These include simple items such as a broom and bucket to hold waste shingles, a slater’s hammer that includes a hammer as well as an ax and blade, a slate cutter to saw through shingles, seaming pliers to hold shingles, and a hip runner to install the ridge cap, the portion of the roof that caps the seams.
When it comes to roofing nails they must be long enough to go through the shingles and get about 3/8 inch below the underside of the shingle. Anything that interferes with the nails biting into the wood can cause the nail to pull out and eventually the loss of shingles. This includes shingles with ridges, some under shingle materials, and of course nails that aren’t long enough for the roofing material. A skilled roofer can drive a roofing nail with one solid hit. A homeowner doing it themselves will find that they can drive the nails with one hit after only a few minutes.
Like a well roofing supplies are a deep subject, but satisfying when you get to the bottom of it.